LeBron James hurt, questionable

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Miami Heat forward LeBron James strained his right groin and aggravated a left ankle sprain in Friday's loss to the Sacramento Kings and is a game-time decision for Saturday's game against the Trail Blazers. James did, however, participate in a pregame workout.

Ray Allen (knee) is also a game-time decision, but the Heat are expecting Dwyane Wade (knee) to return after sitting out Friday's game. Chris Andersen (back) has been ruled out.

James tweaked his ankle late in the second quarter when he landed on a referee's foot after missing a contested layup. He scored 19 of his game-high 33 points in the first half but struggled with his offense in the third quarter as the Kings gradually erased a 17-point deficit in the 108-103 overtime win.

After playing 44 minutes, James said he wasn't certain when he strained his groin and was unsure whether he would play Saturday in Portland on the second night of a back-to-back set for the Heat.

"It's not feeling too well right now," said James, who scored 11 of the Heat's 19 points in the overtime period after getting hot from 3-point range. "I don't know what happened in the first half. I played [much of] the second half and overtime, and strained my groin. I'll see how I feel on our trip to Portland tonight and into tomorrow. But it ain't feeling too good right now."

James already was carrying an additional burden Friday, with teammates Wade, Allen and Andersen (back) sitting out to rest various injuries. But those absences didn't seem to slow the Heat early against the Kings. James got off to a fast start, and the Heat dominated the first two quarters before he stumbled awkwardly on a drive to the basket.

It is the same problematic ankle James sprained in a Dec. 16 win against Utah. But James insisted after Friday's game that the ankle was not as much of an issue as the strained groin.

Despite battling through several nagging injuries, including a sore back the first month of the season, James has yet to miss a game for the Heat.

However, he expressed some frustration after Friday's loss, as the injuries keep piling up for the Heat, who had gotten off to the best start in franchise history through their first 28 games.

"If it's not one injury, it's the next one," said James, who finished with eight rebounds and eight assists along with the 33 points. "So hopefully I can get through this one."

James was visibly limping in the second half but said he never considered asking to come out of the game. He made three 3-pointers in overtime to keep Miami close until the final seconds. In the process, James passed Larry Bird and Gary Payton to move into 29th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

"I tried to do whatever it takes to help my team win," James said. "It would have been a lot worse had I sat down. I just tried to give my team as much as I could, and tonight was one of those instances when I couldn't give them enough."

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